Dugi Rat Municipality: Coast, Outdoor Activities and Cultural Heritage

Dugi Rat Municipality lies on the coast between Omiš and Split. When looking for a hotel in Dugi Rat Municipality, you can first consider whether your stay will focus on the beach and water sports, outdoor activities on land, or cultural interests. The municipality combines coastal scenery with places and traces from different eras; above it rises the Mosor ridge.

Coast, Sandy Beaches and Mosor

The sandy beaches of Dugi Rat stretch continuously for three kilometres to the border with Omiš. The sand was carried down by the Cetina River and deposited west of its mouth by sea currents. The shape of the bathing area also has a historical dimension: in 1989 and 1990, the entire beach in Dugi Rat was widened with additional sand. The aim was to create a shallow bathing area that is 300 to 400 metres wide and gradually deepens to two to three metres.

Above the municipality, the Mosor ridge rises to more than 400 metres above sea level. Above the old part of Duće, the peak of Zahod reaches 594 metres. The landscape description thus places the coast alongside an area at a considerably higher elevation. Visitor attractions in Dugi Rat also include pebble beaches and promenades.

Water Sports, Diving and Routes

You can ride jet skis, sail or water-ski at almost every beach in Dugi Rat; there are also water parks for children. If a particular activity is central to your plans, check in advance what is available at your chosen beach. The Riviera offers a variety of underwater landscapes for diving: shallow areas, deep walls and cliffs, as well as a sunken wreck from the Second World War. There is a clear restriction for Vruja Bay: it is suitable only for the most experienced divers, and recreational dives there are permitted only under expert supervision.

Walking trails along the Riviera pass through old, partly abandoned villages, olive groves, vineyards, forests and bays. There are also several named cycling routes. Route 161, “Ponor (Abyss),” starts in Dugi Rat and runs via Jesenice and Stare Duće back to Dugi Rat; it is 9.2 kilometres long. The cycling programme includes four MTB routes: 160 “Sveti Ivan,” 161 “Ponor (Abyss),” 162 “Viper” and 163 “Battalion.” There is also the road and family route 175, “A Mythical Cycling Trip.” Check the current condition of the route before setting out on a particular ride.

Places and Cultural Heritage

Turska Peć, a prehistoric site with the oldest known traces of human life in the area of Poljica and Omiš, lies above Zeljovići in Jesenice. The old village of Jesenice also offers historical points of interest: stone houses, streets, squares and monuments have been preserved there. Some churches are more than 200 years old; old village cemeteries and bell towers are also part of the area’s traditional landscape.

In Duće stands the parish church of Saint Anthony. It was built in 1864 on the site of a chapel first mentioned in 1748. The altarpiece on the main altar was painted by Vlaho Bukovac in Paris in 1886. Another cultural tradition is upheld by the “Dalmacija” folklore society from Dugi Rat: it was founded on 8 March 1967 to preserve traditional and choreographed dances and songs of the Croatian people, particularly those from the Dalmatian islands, coastal areas and hinterland. The society also hosts and organises numerous cultural events in the municipality.

A Speciality from Poljica

Soparnik is a speciality from Poljica and is included on UNESCO’s list of intangible cultural heritage. It is served as a local speciality in the taverns of Dugi Rat. Regional cuisine thus adds another way to plan your stay—not only around the beach and activities, but also around cultural and culinary interests.

Discover more destinations: Dugi Rat, Jesenice, Duće, Podgora Municipality, Klis Municipality, Tučepi Municipality, Solin Municipality, Komiža Municipality.

Return to the main travel overview: Split-Dalmatia.